Liverpool boss Arne Slot has warned his team cannot afford to make any more mistakes as they enter a crucial stage of the season.
The Reds take on Newcastle United at Anfield at 8pm on Saturday, after an impressive 6-0 midweek victory over Qarabag FK in the UEFA Champions League.
However, Slot is now focused on the Premier League, as Liverpool sit two points behind fourth-placed Manchester United.
He said: “It was a good win with good performance.
“But we are aware that one win is not enough and I am sure this will be a tougher test than on Wednesday.
“The way we positioned ourselves now probably make every game even more crucial.
“It is obvious that the closer you come to the end, the less opportunities you have to make a mistake.
“But we are now in a position that we cannot afford to make a mistake anymore because we’ve made far too many.
“Giving away goals don’t do any justice for the performance in terms of the score. There’s not a lot of room for mistakes anymore.”
Both Ibou Konate and Curtis Jones return to the squad, but the Reds are without Jeremie Frimpong and Joe Gomez.
“Ibou trained with us yesterday and will be in the squad tomorrow.
“Jeremie is out for a few weeks, but not as bad as we thought. It is something positive to take out of a bad situation.
“Joe will not be available but he doesn’t have much longer.”
Slot emphasized how important this game is, especially considering the Magpies can leapfrog Liverpool in the league with a win.
“It is a crucial game. We’ve experienced how tough it is to play against Newcastle in the one and a half years I’ve been here.
“It’s always a tough contest- but for them as well. It’s a game we look forward to because we both had a good result this week.”
Both sides lost their last outing in the Premier League, but Liverpool aim to continue their great record against the Magpies.
The Reds boast an impressive 18 game unbeaten streak against Newcastle in the Premier League, and the away side have not beaten Liverpool at Anfield in their last 29 attempts.
When asked about Liverpool loanee, Harvey Elliott, he said: “It was very pleasing to see him on the pitch again.
“His situation is clear – he is an Aston Villa player at the moment.”
The English midfielder has had limited game time during his time at Aston Villa, making only one Premier League appearance.
Both Jayden Danns and Stefan Bajcetic are still ruled out through injury.
On Danns, the Dutchman said: “We don’t expect him back today or tomorrow. He has a great mentality but unfortunately for him and for us he’s faced a lot of injuries in his career.
“Stefan is not training yet – he’s been out for 6,7,8 months – as much as I’d like to have him back, we need to manage expectations with him as well.”
(featured pictures free to use under Alamy Licence)
